Heavy rains hit national capital, 11 Delhi-bound flights diverted

Due to bad weather conditions and heavy downpour that hit several parts of the national capital, at least 11 Delhi-bound flights were diverted on Monday. As per the sources, among the 11 flights, eights flights were diverted to Jaipur while three flights were diverted to Lucknow.

"On account of bad weather, eight flights were diverted to Jaipur and three to Lucknow between 5 pm and 5.30 pm," an official at the airport said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted heavy rain, hailstorms, and light rain with winds blowing up to 30 to 40 km/h for Delhi on Monday. The city experienced pleasant weather conditions throughout the day, however, several parts of the national capital experienced moderate to heavy downpour in the evening.

The maximum temperature settled at 27.1 degrees Celsius, three notches below the season's average while the minimum temperature was recorded at 17.4 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, while humidity levels oscillated between 48 percent and 94 percent.

At 4 pm, Delhi's 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded in the 'moderate' category at 154.

The weather department has issued orange alert for the city, which was hit by rain and hailstorm on Sunday and Saturday, bringing some respite from the warm weather.

The IMD issued an orange alert, predicting heavy rainfall for Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and other regions of the country as well. The weather department predicted rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms across Northwest and East India on Monday.